Improvement in gas-machines



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N.FETERS. HOT0 LITNOGRAPIEAWASHINGTON D GA UNITED STATES PATENT @Errea THOMAS B. FOGARTY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 71,607, dated December 2S, 1875; application filed November l0, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. FOGAETY, of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Gas-Machines, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to that class of gasmachines in which hydrocarbon liquid is vaporized under pressure in aheated retort, and in which a proper supplypand admixture of air is induced and maintained by the inductive force of l hydrocarbon vapor escaping through a small jet or opening, the manufacture .and supply of gas being regulated and controlled automatically by the rising and fall ing of the gas-holder.

The object of my improvements is to simplify the action of such machines, and to render them more definite, positive, and reliable in their functions, and less liable to accident and this I effect by the addition and combination of certain devices.

I will now proceed to describe my improved gas-machine, and the manner of its construction and operation, which will be more readily understood by ref'erring to the four vaccompanying sheets of drawings, which represent a complete gas apparatus in section, and iigures of special parts of the valve-gearing.

The material from which I manufacture gas in my machine is a volatile product of the distillation of petroleum, colnmonly known as gasoline. I place thc gasoline in a suitable tank or reservoir, A, which I connect with the retort B of my machine by a suitable pipe, C, provided with the stop-cock D. The gasoline is forced into the retort B under a pressure of fifteen pounds, more or less, such pressure, when practicable and convenient, being procured by placing the tank A at such an elevation above the machine that the Weight of the liquid itself' will give the desired pressure. In most cases, however, it is impracticable and inconvenient to do this, so that I usually prefer to use the well-known device for forcing liquids by pneumatic pressure, as shown in the drawing. v

In the drawing, A represents my tank, hermetically closed by the plug' al, as shown. The tank is represented as being partially lled with liquid, as shown at a2, and having an airspace at top, as shown at c3. I now, by means G, which is shown in section, extends down.

into the tank, but so that there is a considerable space between the end of the4 pipe and the bottom of the tank. Thispipe serves as a test or gage pipe, by which to learn when the liquid in the tank is nearly exhausted, for, as shown in the drawing, I provide it at top with a small cock, by opening which I can learn whether the liquid in the tank has been exhausted to below the end of the pipe; forit the cock throws out a jet'of liquid, I knowV that the 4end of G is still immersed in gasoline; but if it-throws out a stream or jet of air, I know that the liquid has been exhausted to below theend ofthe pipe, and that it is time to look after a fresh supply.

I have now shown the means by which I supply the hydrocarbon liquid to my retort-' viz.,v hydrostatic pressure where I can, and

where I cannot avail myself' of that, pneu- In the former case I require4 matic pressure. only an ordinary tank or reservoir, with an eduction-pipe or outlet at bottom, and an airvent' at top; but in the latter caseI require a? tank absolutely air-tight, and it ought to be capable of standing from within a pressure of at least fifty pounds; and I use in combina. tion with it, and as a means of forcing liquid into the retort, and for the other purposes described, the several pipes, and cocks, and the air-pump, as described.

- I now close the vapor-Valve H, in the manner hereafter tobe described, and, having opened the cock D, allow the liquid to enter and fill the retort B. I rnext open the 'cock I vupon lthe pipe J, taking care that the cock K upon the pipe L has been previously closed, so as to cut off communication between the, pump E and the tank A. I now, by means of,

the pump E, force air through the pipe J into v a small carbureting-drip, M, communicating With the gas-holder, and containing a small quantity of gasoline, in its passage through form the. top of the stove.

in alclose tank, while in the present it` iscar` bureted in an open drip communicatingfreely with the gas-holder.

It will be remembered that the valve H was closed before allowing the retortto lill with gasoline; consequently the only outlet from the retort is the supply-pipe through which the gasoline entered it. Now, as soonas the retort attains sucient heat, vapor -will begin to form, and as it forms will displace the liquid in the retort and force it back to the tank, for, as communication is open between the retort and the tank, it is evident there must be aperfect `equilibrium of pressure between them,

for as soon as the pressure in the retort exceeds that in the tank in the slightest degree it will force its contents back to the tank and out of'theinfluence of the heat, so that no` more vapor can form until some of that in the retort is allowed to escape, when the pressure within it becomes reduced below that in the tank, which immediately forces back to the retort liquid for the formation of fvapor sulficient to restore the equilibrium.

I do not claim that there is any novelty inY the above method of regulating the supply of liquid to, and the pressure in, the retorts of gas-machines. I refer to this method of supplying liquids` to retorts,and describe it here, only because such description is necessary to the proper understanding of the construction and operation of my machine,.and make no claim whatever to it, or the devicesby which I carry it into effect, except in so far as they are part of my apparatus and in combination therewith. i

l I shall here describe the retort B, in which I convert the hydrocarbon liquid into vapor, and the stove O, as these constitute an important partof my invention. I construct my retort of any suitable material, but preferably of iron, and furnish it with heat-conducting flanges b, as shown in Fig. 2. These flan ges answer the double purpose of' serving as guides to retain the retort in its proper position inthe stove, and 'also as hea-t absorbers and conductors. They also serve to distribute the heated products of combustion more evenly over the sur4 face of the retort. I also construct the retort so that a ange, b, attached to its top, will This flange is provided with a suitable outlet Vfor the products ot' combustion, and also with a circular flange, 11"', made to fit into the space between the walls o" of the stove O. The advantage of this `contained in the gas-house. iever, contine myself to this method of isolatling the interior of the stove, as the saine purpose might be effected by inclosing the entire jstove in an isolated chamber, theolliening,of` Qwhich would have no communication with the interior of the gas-house.

construction of the `retort is, that it greatly facilitates'and cheapens the construction ot' the machine, as it enables me to dispense with the setscrews formerly used in constructing machines.` The circular fiange bf", fitting betweenjthe walls ot' the stove O, also serves to render the point of contact betweeu them and l the retort impervious to the passage of tlaine.

I construct my stove in such a manner that the fire within it will be absolutely isolated from the interior of the gas-house, thereby rendering accident from ,re impossible; and to this end I construct it in the following manner: I first make its walls o( doublethat is, with aspace between them-and by means of the circular flange b, or its equivalent, or in such other manner as maybe most convenient, I make fthe joint between the stove an d the top of the retort impervious to` the passage of flame, so that itwill be impossible `for Wthe burners withinthe stove to communicate with and inlame an inainmable gaseous mixture surrounding the stove externally. I also attach the door-frame of the stove (not shown in the drawing) in such a manner that at' its points of junction Awith the side of the stove` it will make a joint impervious to flame. I also plane the face` of the door-frame and of the door itself', so that when the door is closed the metals will be brought into such close contact that the passage of ilame` between` them ,j will be impossible. I next connect the chim-` ney with the stove by a joint suicientlyitight to prevent the passage of flame, and I make the joints of the chimney itselfI sufficiently tight for the same purpose. I make the point ot' junction between the stove and thebedplate of the machine, and all the joints connected therewith, as well as the holes through which the gasoline-pipe G and the pipeQ,` through which gas is supplied to the burner S, pass, sufficiently tight toprevent the pas sage of ame. I also make a flame-proof joint around the stem It ot' the burnerfcock of the -burner S under the retort. In` this or in an equivalent manner I isolate the interior ot' the stove from the external atmosphere or gases, exi cept through the iiueT andthe pipe U, through `which air is supplied Jfor thesupport of the combustion within the stove, for, as the heat-y ed products ascend and escape through the pipe P, a supply of cold external air descends and -enters the stove through the pipe U and flue T. I carry these pipes U and T to the outside of the gas house, and consequently, j these being the only means of communication with the interior of the stove, the latter iscom` pletely isolated from the atmosphere or vapors Having now described the mode `of constructing my stove audretort, as well as the,`

I do not, how-` manner of supplying hydrocarbon liquid to the latter, and ofthe conversion of said liquid into vapor, as well .as the manner of regulating and controlling the supply of gasoline to, and therpressure within, the'retort, I shall now describe the process by which the vapor so formed is mixed in the proper proportions with atmospheric air, the devices by which such mixture is effected, regulated, and controlled, and also the method ot' regulating and controlling the manufacture of' gas, and its supply to the burners as required for'use, as well as the several devices and apparatus which I use for this purpose.

The method of inducing a current of air in any desired proportion, by means of a jet of vapor issuing at a light velocity through a small opening, H, into the mouth of a larger tube, V, has been so often described, and is so well understood, that it is unnecessary for me to describe it here, especially as I do not claim that there is any novelty in this part of my invention; nor do I claim that there is any novelty in an automatic gas-holder, as the same has been often previously described; but I do claim that there is novelty in the valvegear, the essential working parts of which are represented 011 Sheets 2, 3, and 4, by the action. of which the holder automatically regulates and controlsthe manufacture and supply ot' gas according to the requirements ofthe consumption. I also claim that there is novelty in the carbureting-drip Y, the float y1, and the valve y2, and also in the safety-float A B, and these I shall now proceed to describe.

In the automatically-Working valve-gears heretofore described, and used by Maxim, myself'. and others, the opening and closing of the jet H were effected by means of springs or weights operating the valve A C, and moved to either side otl the center of motion through the agency of levers suitably 'con nected with the gas holder, and operated thereby. In some of the movements sodescribed, the action of the springs or weights was in some measure checked and regulated by a detent. In nearly all, however, there was no detent whatever, the springs or weights being free to act at either side of the center of motion whenever their tendency to that side would become sutliciently powerful to operate.

the valvegear. My new valve-gear dii-fers most radically from all that have gone before it, inasmuch as there is no center of motion, the opening and closing movements of the valve being governed by the movements of separate levers operating separately and alternatcly, yet in harmony with each other,each part being operatedby a separate weight, and the movements ot' all being controlled by a series of cams and detents.

0n reference to the drawing, it will be seen that the gas-holder is attached, by the center rod A D, to the horizontal bar A E, which is hung in the stud A M under the stove, and carries at its projecting end the counter-bah ance A F. The bar A E is connected at theY point e1, by the rod A Gr, to the lever A H, to which it communicates the motions ot' the holder as it rises or falls, so as to operate the valve-gear, and automatically stop and restart the manufacture of gas, according to the requirements ot' the consumption.

As represented in the drawing, the valve H is open, and the holder is being inflated with gas, and, consequently, is rising out of the water-seal. On looking at the drawing, it will be seen that the vapor-'valve A C is kept open by the action ofthe weight No. 1, att-ached to the lever B C, bearing down the end ot' this; lever, to which it is attached, and so causingl its upper end e2 to press against the boss e3 upon the stem of the valve A C, and thus hold it open. In the position in which the machine is represented in the drawing the lever B C is perfectly at rest, and does not move at all 5# f but as the holder is inflated and rises out ot' the water, carrying with it the leverA H, a projecting spur, B D, upon the latter engages with from the ressure ot' e2 which releases it being forced to do so by the upward movement ot' B C, part of which it is, the valve, meanwhile, continuing wide open. As soon as the holder has risen to nearly the upper end of its stroke a-detent, a. which works upon thesupporting-rod d1, falls behind the upper end e2 ot' the lever B C, and engages in it` preventing its backward movement. This detent is actuated by the weight No. 2. Meanwhile a sector or cam, d2, upon A H has been moving in union with it, and has been retaining in its position the lever d3. laterally-projecting pin, m, which rests upon the upper surface ot' the sector d3. Immediately, however, after the lever B U has been locked in position by the detent a, as before mentioned, the sector d2 passes from under the projecting pin m of the lever d3, allowing the weightNo. 3 to operate this lever, so as to bring its upper end m1 to bear upon the boss e3 and close the vapor-valve A C, and, simultaneonsly with it, the air-valve m2, connected withit by the rod al. gas being now stopped, the holder commences to fall, carrying with it the lever A H. 'Ihey lever B C, however, does not inove in unison with A H, for it must be remembered that it has b'een locked by the detent a falling behind it, so that, as A H is carriedl downward by the falling gas-holder, the spurs B D and B E become unlocked from each other, and the lever B C remains stationary, its upper end e2 being locked by the detent a into such a position that it shall not press against the boss e3, which, as I have said bet'ore, is acted on so as to keep the valve A C closed 'by Vthe weight No. 3 acting on the lever d3, so as to bring it to bear against it, and tovkeep A C closed. y When, however, the holder. descends, carry;`

This lever d3 carries a The manufacture of i ing A H with it, a projecting arm, x, upon the latter raises the detent n, and so releases B C, the weight uponwhich immediately opcrates it, so as to bring its upper end` e2 against the boss e3, and throw open the vapor and air valves with a quick snap motion.

It will be remembered that the vapor-valve had been closed and kept closed by the weight No-3 bringing the upper end ml of the lever d3 to bear against the boss e3. The weights No. 1. and N o. Bare, however, so proportioned to each other that, while No. 3 has power enough to keep the vapor-valve tightly closed against the pressure of the vapor, No. l has got power enough to open this valve against the pressure of No. 3. Both sets of weights and levers are thus made to act alternately, their mutual dependence and reciprocal action being regulated by the movements of the lever A H, which is, in turn, operated by the rising and falling of the gas-holder.

Having described the working parts of the valve-gear, I shall now describe the part playedby the hanging bob a2. This bob, it will be perceived, is merely intended to keep in a vertical position a bracket hung upon the .supporting-rod n3. Thelever A H carries upon 1ts hub a spur, y, projecting across this bracket, so that, it' by any chance the holder should rise or fall above or below the normal limits of its movement, the spur upon its hub will engage in the bracket attached to n2, carrying it with it, and causing its upper end g1 to describe a short arc of a curve. Now, gI carrles a projecting pin, which projects under and* supports a corresponding pin or stud projecting from the arm g2, working upon the supporting-rod di, and having attached to it the weight No. 4. The bracket is kept in a perpendicular position by the hanging bob n2, and it continues in this position as long as the p holder does not exceed to any extent the limits of its upward or downward stroke. As soon, however, as this occurs,^which can only be through want of pressure, or some derangement ot' the machine, the stud y upon the hub of A H engages in the bracket, and causes its upper end gl to describe a short arc of a circle, in consequence of which the projecting pin upon g1 becomes disengaged from that upon the arm g2, which, being thus released, is carried down by the weight No. 4 attached toit.

i Now, the arm g2 carries upon its hub a spur, g3,

so adjusted that it will not ordinarily interfere With the normal working of the lever d3; but as soon, however, as the arm lg2 is released through some derangement of the machine, as already described, and is brought into action by the weight No.4, the spur g3 engages the vertical portion of d3, which, it has been said, is actuated by the weight No. 3, when the action of the combined weights Nos. 3 and 4.,

being thus brought to'bear upon d3, are sufti-` cient to close the valve even against the opposinginfiuence ot' weight No. l. Thusthe boba2 and the bracket gl remain perfectly -quiescent during the normal working ofthe machine, and come into `play only in case of loss ot' pressure or other derangementof the machine, in which case' they close `the va-4 por-valve, and thus prevent an escape,` and consequent loss, of gasoline.` It will be seen that by placing the counter-balance A F upon either side of the stud A M the pressure of the gas-holder can be increased or diminished at pleasure. The weights are represented as being suspended from the levers butitis evi-` dent that fixed weights or springs might,`in some cases, be advantageously employed.` y l shall now proceed to describe the carbui reting-drip Y. This drip serves for a double purpose. As I have already said, I use it as a means of carbureting air for the purpose of heating the retort to start the machine when there is not a' supply of gas on hand for that purpose. I also use it as a safeguard or preventive against an overflow, and consequent loss, of gasoline. It' a derangement should occur when there'is a large number of lights burning, and there is consequently a heavy consumption of gas, and the holder should consequently rise or fall above or bclowthe normal points for reversing its motion, the i.

bracket will release the arm g2, which will fall and close the vapor-valve, so as to prevent a loss of gasoline. If, however, such derange-` ment should occur when there are but a few burners lighted, an overflow of gasoline would probably take place. The vapor produced by the warm gasoline would probably be suicient to feed thefew burners lighted; consequently the gasoline would continue to over-` iow, and though ra time would eventually come when the arm g2 would be brought into action, so as to stop the ow of gasoline by (closing the vapor-valve, a considerable loss of gasoline would, however, take placel meanwhile. It is for the purpose of preventing this loss by hastening the action of g2, and making it almost coincident with the rst overiiow of gasoline through the jet H, that I have devised the combination of the carbu reting-drip Y, `ioat y1, and valve y, as shown in the drawing; for the moment gasoline begins to come over it will dow into the drip Y, when the float y1 will raise the valve y2, in consequence of which there will be a rapid escape of gas from the holder, the same as if there was a large number of burners lighted. The` holder will now fall rapidly, and thus bring the arm g2 into operation, so as to close the jet H, and stop the' further `tlow of gasoline.

I will-now describe the oat A B inside the v holder on the top of the inlet or outlet pipe.

This float is intended to prevent the water in the holder-tank being allowed to fall too low, for, in this case, the oat will fall with the water, and the cap p on top will close the pipe, and stop the iiow of gas, so that the water-seal must be renewed before the` machine can be used again.

is Working the gas enters the pipe through openings at the sides p. i A i .i

When the machine I do not here claim the stove having an air-tight jacket, with connections extending to the outside of' the apartment in which it is placed, for the purpose of preventing explosion or danger by fire, as it is the subject of another application.

I claiml. In automatically-Working gasmachines, two Weighted levers, B O and d3, alternately opening and closing the vapor-valve A C and the air-valve m2 of such machines, substantially as described.

2. A lever, A H, furnished with one or more sectors or cams, d2, and one or more spurs, B D, and also with one or arms, rv, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the levers B C d3 and A H with the gas-holders of automatiscribed.

THOS. B. FOGARTY. Witnesses:

DAVID E. GWYNNE, WM. KEMBLE HALL. 

